an enchanting book, and a must read!!
Highly recommended. A really touching story of redeeming love.
Former stableboy Ivan Tramore makes good, inheriting wealth and a legitimate title, while Lissa Alcester's fortunes spiral downward as the result of scandal, and Lissa finds herself undeniably attracted to this ruthless, vengeful man.
I was somewhat disappointed with this book. I liked the plot (bastard stableboy inherits lands & title; comes back for the woman he loved as a teenager), but, Lissa and Ivan are too unhappy with each other and don't really start having a good relationship until the last chapter of the book. Even after they first make love they are both still very suspicious & actually nasty toward each other. I wish they could have admitted to each other that they loved each other much sooner. The way the story played out, I wasn't liking the characters of Lissa or Ivan very much at all. For a romance novel, this story needed more tenderness.
It was five years since Elizabeth Alcester had laid eyes on her fomrer stable boy Ivan Tramore, five years since her world had collapsed in devasting ruin around her. Penniless and desperate, she finds herself at the mercy of a cruel ruthless stranger = a man who vows to possess her. Tramore had returned home in triumph - the unwanted bastard of Lord Iva, 11th Marquis of Powerscourt - the most powerful man in London. Yet one woman had sworn to defy him, the proud beautyh whose touch hand branded him forever.
Elizabeth Alcester was a wealthy girl who fell in love with her stablehand Ivan. However, on one disastrous series of events, things changed. Ivan went from stablehand to wealthy marquis and Elizabeth's family became destitute. It took years for Ivan to grow into his title and increase his wealth. But now he's back in Nodding Knoll and he looks to be out for revenge against Elizabeth.
The continuation of troubles and desperate situations just heaped upon each other until I was weary. Also, it simply took too long for Ivan to turn from being the morose, vindictive, moody man to a hero. Lissa and Ivan are not kind to each other until the last chapters. On the flip side, the tale never got dull; crises were always in the offing.
The continuation of troubles and desperate situations just heaped upon each other until I was weary. Also, it simply took too long for Ivan to turn from being the morose, vindictive, moody man to a hero. Lissa and Ivan are not kind to each other until the last chapters. On the flip side, the tale never got dull; crises were always in the offing.
